by Hanna Zelma Horányi A bit of context: On April 4, parliamentary elections were held in Hungary. Fidesz, the governing party won in a landslide. On the same day, there was also a referendum which was often regarded as homo- and transphobic. (I’m adding often because a. as far as the government is concerned, it…
Safe Spaces
By Roni Grinstein I remember when my friend came to visit me, he couldn’t help but wonder: “Is it you that attracts people that are emotionally complex, or is it this place?” (as he put it). His question struck me, mostly because of his sincere observations and sensitivity towards noticing the complex inner worlds of…
Why To Attend Protests
By Roni Grinstein I am writing these words when arriving back to my room from the protest for Ukraine in the Hague on 26-02-2022. I am emotional and overwhelmed, in the best sense of those two words. I am energized and full of hope. But not in the innocent idea of hope, but in an…
What is the Value of Reading the News?
By Hanna Zelma Horányi In my family, I am known to be the unreachable one. I have a tendency to leave my phone at home, to go for days without opening my messages and forget to reply once I did. My secrets for survival include refusing notifications, muting conversations, and aggressively opting for do not…
Revisiting Israel
Disclaimer: Dear Reader, this article has been the subject of a complaint from a member of our community. The Tabula RASA Daily Board agree it does not reach our desired standards of journalistic integrity and therefore the author has agreed to rewrite the article addressing concerns relating to clarity, concision, potentially offensive language, and a…
I Love Lube and You Should too
By Arya Mehta I won’t lie, I have a lot of deadlines for Monday and I have quite some exciting things happening in my life, but I did want to give you guys a good article. My opinion this week: SEXUALLY ACTIVE PEOPLE SHOULD TRY USING LUBE. The use of lube can literally transform your…
Grades are Dumb
By Arya Mehta I know this is quite a cliché/cheesy opinion column article in college magazines or even high school publications but I think in Week 11, when we’re all struggling to get to the finish line, this serves as an important reminder that our grades don’t define our worth or predict our future. I…
Racism in the Netherlands – Through Gloria Wekker’s “On White Innocence”
By Arya Mehta The Netherlands is often portrayed as this safe, liberal haven with its egalitarian ideals and ‘colorblind’ values. But, as Gloria Wekker, inspired by Toni Morrison, points out in her lecture on “White Innocence” (linked in the bibliography, fantastic read), this colorblind outlook does not translate into non-racism. In fact, it does more…
Students Should Minimize Their Trips Home to See Family/Friends to Once Every Three Months in Light of the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Nathaniel Nichol Although the overall Covid-19 caseload in the Netherlands is still relatively low on a population-adjusted basis, the virus is still here (WHO Data, RIVM). The current evidence indicates minimizing close personal contact is one of the most effective ways of stopping the spread of Covid-19 (CDC). In light of this, it is…
On Freedom
By Arya Mehta This semester, UCR has chosen the theme “Cultures and Institutions of Freedom”, which I find to be a paradoxical expression. Institutions are inherently a tool of the state and do not, and cannot, provide ‘absolute’ freedom (if that is even possible). UCR, as a Western institution, is limited to Western epistemology and…
Falling in Love: the Stories of UCR
Compiled by Sithis Yim Samnang You know there’s that one person when you look into their eyes, you can sense the soft idleness in your floaty little heart. You can feel the attraction and… CRASH! You fell right into that hole. And your wish is for that person to fall right back; hopefully, into yours….
To Feel Again: Reminiscence in the Present in ‘Find Me’
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” (by Samuel Perlman) (James Ivory in…
A University With No Spirit
By Alon Nudler A Short Opinion Column on the Community at UCR One of the main reasons I was excited to go to UCR was the fact that it is a small college. At slightly over 600 students, it allows for small classes and personal feedback from your professors, which is mostly true from what…
Zuma vs. Baxley: Are African politics more honest than US politics?
By Amée Zoutberg Disclaimer: This article is written from a non-scientific perspective, rather a literary/philosophical one. The point of this article is to demonstrate an idea, which should inspire debate and further thought on the topic. Some of the article’s assumptions and generalisations are based on case examples and the author’s encounters with experienced individuals….
F*ck Your Freedoms
It is Time to Take Responsibility By Amée Zoutberg At least, that’s according to Professor Jordan Peterson of Clinical Psychology, University of Toronto. Earlier this month, Vice News crowned Peterson as the “most infamous intellectual of Canada”, in an interesting and provoking snapshot of his philosophical worldview (1). His argument: we have been given too…
AFD – Whiff from the Brown Past or Fresh Wind in a Stale Closet?
In her article “Did We Get Used to Nazis (Again)?”, Rebecca Fobbe lambasts the success of the Alternative für Deutschland party (Alternative for Germany, AFD) in the recent German federal elections, which gained almost 13% of votes and thus became the third-largest party nationally. Following Rebeccas article, it would be easy to assume that the…
Let’s Talk About Fashion
By Gloria Borroni As I spend my days watching videos of New York’s fashion week, dreaming of owning one of those dresses, or, better yet, sitting in between the big names of the fashion industry, gazing at the models walking down the runway with my overcritical glasses on and my eyebrow raised, I wonder why…